Elastomeric materials have been formed into countless different articles suitable for use in many applications. For instance, elastomeric materials have been commonly used to produce various glove products, such as surgical gloves, examination gloves, gloves for use in clean room applications, gloves used for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, and the like. Elastomeric materials have been found particularly well suited for constructing gloves due to their physical characteristics. For example, elastomeric materials, in addition to having good elastic properties, exhibit good strength characteristics and may be produced so as to be impermeable not only to aqueous solutions, but also to many solvents and oils.
Depending upon the particular use and application, gloves can be worn by a user for a substantial period of time. For instance, healthcare workers wear medical exam gloves during just about any procedure where they are in contact with a patient or a patient's bodily fluids. For example, healthcare workers wear medical examination gloves when changing a dressing, a catheter, a bedpan, bathing a patient, etc. These procedures can take as little as five minutes or can take over an hour to complete. Healthcare workers on average can wear ten to fifteen pairs of gloves per eight-hour shift. Elastomeric gloves, however, typically have a low moisture vapor transmission rate. As such, moisture can become trapped in the glove next to the skin of the wearer. When the skin is occluded for long periods of time, the skin can begin to break down causing skin damage and skin irritation.
In view of the above, various attempts have been made to produce an elastomeric glove that does not trap moisture adjacent to the user's skin. For instance, in the past, some elastomeric gloves have been coated with a cotton flocking. The cotton, however, can produce lint while the glove is being worn making such gloves only useful in very limited applications. For instance, such gloves are typically not well suited to being used as surgical gloves or medical examination gloves.
In view of the above, a need currently exists for an improved elastomeric glove that is capable of removing moisture from the surface of the skin.